Saturday, March 28, 2015

“I used to daydream about being old enough to go on dates. I had this
image of myself, holding hands with a really cute guy. Driving along
some pretty road, listening to the radio. Having some sort of freedom, I
guess.”

IT FOLLOWS tells the story of a girl named Jay (Maika Monroe), when after having sex with a prospective boyfriend named Hugh (Jake Weary), is drugged and tied to a chair. When she awakes, Hugh explains to her that he has been harboring a secret, that a shape-shifting entity has been following him and by sleeping with her, it's going to now follow her instead. While it would be quick to dismiss this concept as ridiculous, let us not forget that we all once believed that a razor glove wearing, burned face ghost that could shape shift and kill us in our dreams was a solid premise. The film was released in minimal theaters and did so well, it garnered a wide release. This never happens for independent horror films, let alone an independent horror film that is earning points solely on its merits (and not because it has a twenty-year fan base backing it up. I'm looking at you, TUSK).

Around the twitterverse and blogosphere, there has been a slight backlash calling IT FOLLOWS a run-of-the-mill "slut shaming" horror film that demonizes anyone that chooses to have sex. Horror has a pretty terrible track record in terms of the way it approaches female sexuality and sex positivity (how many times have we heard "the slut dies first?"), but IT FOLLOWS should not be reduced to falling into this category. Jay is a college student, but there are plenty of references to her past sexual history during her high school years. In one instance, she dismisses having sex with a previous partner because "it's not a big deal." She's right. It's NOT a big deal that someone had sex in high school. For a line like this to happen in a film, a medium that has an entire subgenre dedicated to young men trying to lose it before high school graduation, this "minor moment" is extremely important. While Jay is being terrorized for having sex, the film never puts her in the position of being at blame or deserving of her terror. We root for this girl, we want her to overcome this monster, and by us knowing she can save herself by "passing it on," we almost want her to run around and screw everyone on the planet just to stay alive. The film makes the audience genuinely crave a sex scene not for titillating arousal, but for survival. Sexuality is an evolving and detrimentally important aspect of human nature, despite the fact it's almost always a misconception presented to teenagers that it's one of the most "special and sacred things two people can do." It can be special and sacred, yes, but it doesn't have to be...and we're not bad people for having sex simply because it feels awesome.

This is where it gets complicated and why David Robert Mitchell's script is something deeper than a surface-level metaphor for STDs. IT FOLLOWS exercises the way an audience perceives rape culture. The film sets us up to view everything from Jay's point of view, so we feel the things she feels. Hugh, on the other hand, is presented as a huge jackass for knowingly passing on to Jay this curse. He's vilified almost immediately for doing EXACTLY what we will later spend the entire duration of the movie hoping Jay will do. Meaning, when Hugh has sex with her and she delivers a monologue about the way we as children glorify what we believe dating will be like when we're older, we're smitten by her honesty. As the sound effects kick in and we notice that Hugh is up to something, we fear for her. We as the audience are meant to identify with Jay, and since we wouldn't want to be cursed with a scary sex monster, we don't think she deserves it either. We completely lose the perspective of, "Hugh is just trying to survive too, man." Instead, we focus solely on Jay and wanting her to overcome everything. Jay isn't presented as a bad person for trying to pass this thing on to unsuspecting people, but we demonize Hugh for doing the same thing. This is 100% rape-culture, but it's the inverse of what audiences are used to being force fed. The blame is in the right place, the perpetrator, but once Jay goes from "prey" to "predator" we have a difficult time transitioning how we feel towards her as a character from "victim" to "villain." Had the film followed Hugh instead of Jay, we would feel the same way
about her that we do about Jay's "victims" of Greg (Daniel Zovatto), the
men on the boat, and resident "nice-guy," Paul (Keir Gilchrist). The patriarchy hurts both sides, folks.

And what of our resident "nice guys finish last" character of Paul? Paul started out as our "Duckie" from PRETTY IN PINK in this storyline, but shifted into Oskar from LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. A boy so dedicated to his female crush, he is willing to live a doomed life alongside her, even if she's only with him to save herself. It could have been easy to make his character a giant metaphor for "only have sex with the one you love and all of your problems will be solved!" but...he's not. The "It" following Jay cannot go away, and that's refreshing. This "it" puts all sexual encounters on an even playing field. It doesn't matter if you love someone, just "like" someone, or if you're having meaningless sex, it's all the same. The act is always the same, the intention behind it is what changes our interpretation of said act. In the same regard, we're meant as an audience to view Paul as this selfless hero willing to give himself over to share the burden of this horror, but he's ultimately just found a loophole to get what he's wanted for years: Jay.

Now, it's already been discussed how Jay is never presented as the villain in this film, and that's precisely why it needs to be debated. If anything, Jay is a much crueler character than Hugh because while
drugging her and tying her to a chair is a problem, he at least warned her what
was coming. Hugh prepared her and did the responsible "contact your sexual
partners" sort of informing and Jay did not. Jay willingly gave the "it" to three dudes on a
boat to give herself some time. While this can be excused as desperation, it is very reminiscent of the way drug addicts "get their fix." In this instance, the "fix" that Jay is seeking is the comfort knowing she has a small amount of time to not look over her shoulders. This sweet, albeit temporary relief is something she craves and does not consider the long term effects of her actions on others. Now, she does pass the "it" to two other friends (Greg and Paul) but because these friends offer themselves
to her, we therefore see her as an innocent party. It was consensual, they knew what they were getting themselves into, and we can't view her as the villain.

Jay is, at heart, a kind and empathetic soul. She
cares about her friends and her family, but she doesn't take the
selfless role we want from her, she instead acts just as terribly as
Hugh, if not worse. Does being burdened with an awful sexually
contracted legacy mean she should be forced to live on an island? No.
Does it mean she should warn people before boning that she has an awful
sexually contracted legacy that will follow her partner? Yes. Yes she
should.

IT FOLLOWS isn't perfect by any means, and it's actually a bit problematic at times, but it forces us to look at sexuality in horror films from an entirely different perspective. Ultimately, I hope that someone is inspired by IT FOLLOWS and fills in the cracks the film left behind. I am not on team
"OMG BEST MOVIE EVER" but I am on team "This is going to
scare the squares and make us discuss something we never take the time
to talk about."

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

If you're not ride or die for Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, you're missing out. The duo's debut, 2013's RESOLUTION, was one of the most inventive horror films of the year. After watching their sophomore film SPRING, these two prove that they aren't one-hit wonders, and that they are bonafide film making powerhouses. SPRING follows Evan, played by the incredible Lou Taylor Pucci (EVIL DEAD, CARRIERS), retreating to Italy after the mother he's been caring for passes away. While on his trip, he meets Louise (played by the effortlessly gorgeous Nadia Hilker), and is immediately captivated. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Evan, Louise is harboring a secret that is both horrifying and dangerous.

Right off the bat, Justin Benson continues to prove that he's one of the smartest screenwriters working in the genre. RESOLUTION completely spun some of the most famous genre tropes on its head, and SPRING breathes new life into the "American in a Foreign Country" sort of storyline. In terms of gender analysis, I'd argue that Evan's character is a feminist, and his actions are completely atypical from the traditional male horror characters. Evan is a male character that the audience can genuinely enjoy watching, and his journey is one we actually care about following. This film very well could have been a run of the mill "fell in love with a vampire/ghost/monster/zombie" film, but it's not. It's truly in a league all its own and it's the breath of fresh air this genre has been craving. The timing of SPRING is downright impeccable, because it never feels rushed or monotonous.

The bones of SPRING are made out of an extremely well structured story, and Benson's writing grows stronger with every installment. In terms of the actual "horror" the mythology about Louise is clearly inspired by familiar creatures, but her transformation remains very unique. It could have been incredibly easy to just ape off any number of the body horror/creature films of yesteryear, but SPRINGstill manages to maintain true to itself. SPRING may be getting comparisons to H.P. Lovecraft, but it's definitely from the mind of Justin Benson.

The "Richard Linklater meets H.P. Lovecraft" comparison merely scratches the surface of what SPRING has to offer, but it's an admittedly fair description. Benson and Moorhead have successfully crafted one of the most aesthetically beautiful horror films of recent memory. In addition to directing, Moorhead also worked as cinematographer and he has an exquisite style that really allows the audience to travel to whatever world he's shaping for us. Much like our leading lady, SPRING felt somewhat otherwordly at times, and yet I wanted to wrap my arms completely around it. By marrying the elements of horror with the audience pleasing "romantic dramedy," SPRING is one of those films that horror fans will come across, and it will speak to them on a level that slashers or found footage cannot ever match. SPRING is a peculiar film, and will more than likely confuse many audience members, but for those that it speaks to, it will resonate within us for years to come. Benson and Moorhead are proving to be an unstoppable force, and SPRING is going to help push them forward.

SPRING will be available in theaters and VOD nationwide this Friday, March 20th.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

In independent cinema, creators often wear many hats in order to make a film come alive. However, a sad truth is that when a man is directing/writing/acting/producing, it's always praised as some impressive feat, while women who do the same are almost always targeted solely for their acting work, regardless of the other jobs they had in creating a film. Why? Because people consistently focus on the appearance of what a woman does, and not the realities. Normally I reserve Wednesdays for my "Woman of the Week" segment, but I
saw a post on social media today that forced me to break my own rule and
feature an outstanding woman in the horror genre that deserves all the
praise I could possibly give.

I first met Natalie Jean a few years ago
at the Cinema Wasteland convention, when Adam Ahlbrandt was showing his
feature film CROSS BEARER. Alongside him was his FX artist and co-producer Doug
Sakmann, along with co-producer/star Natalie Jean. I was immediately impressed by
her. I was first drawn in by her radiating beauty, but it was when she
began to speak about her job as a producer that she had me hooked. Last
April I was fortunate enough to become closer to her on a personal
level, and this girl is the real deal. Her performance in THE CEMETERY was one of my favorites of 2014,
and there aren't many women out there hustling the way Natalie Jean is
hustling. Talented, passionate, driven, intelligent, stunning, and
relentless, Natalie Jean is everything I love about independent cinema
and women in horror.

Yes, Natalie Jean is a model and an actress, but she's also a decorated stunt woman, and extremely talented producer. With credits that include films like Darren Aranofsky's BLACK SWAN and Starz' series THE CHAIR, Natalie Jean isn't some random chick who covered herself in blood for a shoe-string budget film. Director Adam Ahlbrandt is starting to make a name for himself in the independent horror circuits with his films CROSS BEARER and THE CEMETERY, but over and over again...Natalie Jean (the star AND one of the producers of both of these films) is never given any sort of accolades for her work other than being a "hot actress." Rue-Morgue magazine recently did a feature on Ahlbrandt's films, and yet again, the star and co-producer was thrown aside as some random actress and nothing more. Well, Natalie Jean finally had the strength to speak up about a problem that most women in the industry keep mum about.

"Congrats out to Adam and all involved for the great writeup in Rue Morgue this issue, you deserve all of it and more.

To Rue Morgue (and any of the other reputable circulations I've
encountered side-stepping the roles of our chicks) one of the unnamed
gaggle of 'detestable, low-life cock-sucking coke-snorting strippers',
as you phrased it, is called Heather and I played her. Beyond playing
Heather in Cross Bearer and Andrea in The Cemetery, I also co-produced-
and at many times solely produced- both
features. From March of 2011 through March of 2015 I've developed these
little monsters from the ground up, often performing the work of a full
production team- happily, it's something I happen to be pretty alright
at. When some of the other producers bailed entirely I began draining
all the cash I'd made into them, until that ran out & I had to sell
my car and my stunt equipment, then abandon my apartment in Los Angeles
and move to Pennsylvania to fund every pickup, insert, and piece of ADR,
then run every shoot from tits to tail until they were done to
satisfaction. This was followed by pouring even more cash & time
into promotions, film festivals, and conventions, until it rendered me
homeless. Still, I worked from my cherished Macbook hobo-style seven days
a week, eating meals from Wawa with nickels and dimes & falling
farther into the aether of stress-induced madness. I gave up a good
three years of my life, royally screwing my burgeoning stunt career in
the process, and putting all my own projects on hold. I don't tell a
lot of people these things (until now I guess). I never say shit when a
guy is given credit for producing these movies, or when I'm tossed off
as a nameless grab-and-stab whore in a review. No, because even though I
am one of two people without who those films would not exist, I am
deliriously grateful for all the love from the fans, for the film
brothers who've stood up for me without me asking, to my family for not
disowning me, to the colleagues who opened their doors when I had
nowhere to go. And I would do it all again. But I shouldn't just take
it. No gal in my position should. I should defend what I can do, what I
will do, what I have done. So in honor of Heather, the
non-coke-snorting, non-dick-sucking, not-whore character who means so
very much to me, I invite all transgressors to eat one heaping spoon of
pig shit, a modest fraction of the shit I've eaten over the last four
years. Thanks! Oh if only that article would have come out during 'Women in Horror Month'. To dream."

Here's the thing. Natalie Jean's story is unfortunately all too common. Our genre claims to be one that treats women as equals, and that's simply not true. I've personally seen dozens of horror news outlets forget to mention Natalie Jean as a producer in their reviews for THE CEMETERY and CROSS BEARER, and that's a despicable shame. Women in Horror Recognition month ended three days ago, and we already have respectable news sources being less-than-stellar to female horror creators. However, many women keep tight lipped about their treatment in fear of looking "difficult" or "unappreciative" or "bitchy." It's a ridiculous unspoken standard that many of us have to deal with every single day, and we're all expected to just deal with it.

Now, I can already hear the other side of the argument. "If she wanted to be taken seriously as a producer, maybe she shouldn't post the photos that she does." I'm sorry, but this is a completely sexist and slut-shaming statement that needs to end. Natalie Jean is a producer, yes, but she's also a MODEL. Heidi Klum is one of the most respected creators on the planet, and she's posed in far less than what Natalie Jean wears in her photos. Why can't Natalie Jean be a dynamite producer in addition to a super sexy model? Why can't she be a cut throat and intelligent producer while accepting challenging acting roles? The whole "virgin/whore" dichotomy that society (and horror films) likes to encourage is absolutely the problem. Natalie Jean's role as a stripper in CROSS BEARER has no bearing on her ability to be a producer. However, that's all anyone focuses on. Forget the fact the credits state that she was a co-producer, all any news sites want to focus on is a character she played rather than the job she accomplished.

Yesterday, Bad Ass Digest posted a moving article from screenwriter Todd Farmer about how he went from Hollywood screenwriter, to living in his car in a pretty short period of time. Everyone has been talking about how strong and inspiring Farmer is for allowing the public to see this side of him and the obstacles he's overcome...and yet Natalie Jean has done something similar and she's reduced to being compare to a character she played in a film, as a "detestable, low-life cock-sucking coke-snorting stripper." I greatly respect Natalie Jean as a performer, but it was her bold statement speaking out against an injustice that many of us face that earned her the right to join the ranks of Woman of the Week. Way to go, lady.

Before everyone's favorite hockey mask wearing mutant son began
terrorizing Camp Crystal Lake, his Mommy Dearest was the original slayer
of sinful counselors. The cable knit sweater wearing killer was a
mother scorned, hoping to avenge the unnecessary death of her precious
son Jason. Pamela Voorhees was dealt a rather difficult hand. Enduring
a pregnancy at the age of sixteen while residing in a trailer with a
verbally and physically abusive man, her son would later be born
hydrocephalic, forcing her to home-school him while she herself was
still a child. When you really put it into perspective, she had a child
at sixteen without the assistance of MTV or her parents.
Sixteen year
old girls are some of the most self-absorbed individuals on the planet,
and she was responsible for raising a deformed and learning disabled
child. Jason was her entire world. Growing up without the support or
interaction with anyone other than his mother would cause a lot of
psychological issues for both Jason and Pamela, and it was after his
death that she began to hear the voices telling her to kill those
responsible for his untimely demise. We know this now after twelve
movies, a series of novels, a line of comic books, and countless other
forms of media. But what about the originalFRIDAY THE 13TH?
Without any of this back story, finding out the killer in the film that
started a franchise was actually a woman was shocking for its time and
still remains as one of the most "Oh shit" reveals in horror history. While using a female reveal as a shock treatment is not the most equal of treatments, the fact that the killer remains genderless (aka-equal) until the final moments helps make FRIDAY THE 13TH unexpectedly feminist.

Flashback to good ol' 1958 when the "Camp Blood" killings started to
take place, we're given a very slight, but very clear sign that the
killer is a woman. We see our unsuspecting, horny camp counselors
sneaking away with the intentions to make the beast with two backs.
Their moments of passion are being spied upon by an unseen force, that
makes itself known and then kills the two lovers. When the two kids
notice the figure, they immediately resort to claiming their innocence
rather than showing their fear. Right away, we know that these two
personally know their assailant. The fact that they weren't afraid of
physical danger gives the impression that the two are backing away from
either an adult or higher-ranked female. Humans respond differently to
adults in power depending on their sex. We worry that our mothers will
yell at us and that our fathers will take a belt to our asses for being
disobedient. Or, if we want to go by the famous Margaret Atwood quote, ""Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them." Definitely so for 1958 before the "don't beat the
children" PC way of mind came to fruition. Historically speaking, in
1958 men of authority were allowed to physically punish those beneath
them, while women were in a position of trying to be doting and
compassionate. It isn't until the knife is shown that either of the
counselors show any sort of life-determining fear. However, the films of this time hadn't really ever shown a female killer, so the audience assumes the person behind the killings is a man.

The first casualty of the Camp Crystal Lake re-opening belonged to
kitchen helper, Annie. She doesn't even make it to the camp when she
meets her maker. Although the 1970s/1980s were a time where hitchhiking
wasn't viewed nearly as dangerous as it is now, Annie isn't an idiot.
When she is first given a ride closer to the camp, she's in the car with
a man. The things they talk about are a bit more gruesome and
sarcastic (the camp's history, mild banter about intelligence) but she
gets in the car with this stranger after given the sense of security
from the other diners that he's an okay guy. Once he drops her off,
she's later catches a ride from an unseen individual driving a jeep.
Once she gets in the car, her demeanor completely changes. She becomes
more smiley (if that's even possible) and begins talking about
children and her dreams. The person in the car clearly looks like someone that would
agree with her discussion of "I don't like when people call them kids"
or she wouldn't bring up the conversation. Not to mention, her body
posture completely changes into a far more relaxed position in the
vehicle compared to the closed off position she previously held while in
the truck with the man. It isn't until the unseen driver begins
speeding that she looks anything but calm. After jumping out of the
vehicle and being chased through the woods, she even pleads with her
captor and keeps a very calm and solemn voice. It sounds very similar
to the way children cower in fear towards their mothers, rather than
aggressively panic from their fathers. Yet, audiences are still convinced the killer is probably a big, scary, man. Anything men can do, women can do?

There are mentions of "fires" at the beginning of the film, and
psychologically speaking, women who commit arson are almost always
motivated by revenge. Moving through the film, we see other
characteristics that showcase Mama Voorhees to clearly be a female
killer. All of the male "slasher" killers were all big fans of the
"slash and dash" method of killing, but instead of just slash and
dashing up her victims,
Mama Voorhees was very calculated. All of her kills were carefully
constructed and executed perfectly. There were no victims stabbed once
and running to hide in closets with clothes hangers. There was no
opportunity to escape her carnage. Once she had you in her sights, she
was taking care of business. It's the idea of planning and plotting
that we normally see with final girls like Nancy Thompson using for
survival, but instead used in to take out the victims of Pamela
Voorhees. We don't often see this behavior from male killers, but we
definitely see it from Pamela Voorhees. The only time she ever "slips
up" is when she gets too distracted talking about her baby boy and why
she couldn't let the camp re-open. If she wasn't so entranced with the
love of her son, Alice never would have escaped. Perhaps my favorite
tactic used, is when she even went as far as
impersonating the voice of a child in order to lure out one of her
female
victims, knowing that she wouldn't be able to ignore a crying child.

Someone never listened to TRAPT...

Considering this was one of the first times we were introduced to a
"final girl" character, the audience, male and female, is viewing the
film through the lens of Alice, a woman. Meaning, all of the characters
are forced to identify with her struggle, regardless of their own
gender. "But, but, all of the women who die in FRIDAY THE 13TH are punished simply for not being good girls!" True, but all of the men who die in FRIDAY THE 13TH are all murdered for the exact same reason. This isn't a film where only promiscuous females are murdered, promiscuous males are murdered just as quickly. Like most slasher films, FRIDAY THE 13TH is a morality tale, but the archetypal stock characters seen in latter slasher films hadn't been established quite yet. The male counselors and the female counselors are all on an even playing field, and I'd predict that had a male character been the "moral" one instead of Alice, he would have made it out alive just the same. It may have taken until Part 4 for a male to be the sole survivor, but FRIDAY THE 13TH was heavily inspired by John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, and it was almost a standard to have a female victor over a male villain.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

John Carpenter arguably created his masterpiece with THE THING. Although it remains within the science fiction subgenre, THE THING also falls within the same realm as a monster movie or a body-horror film. Considering the main antagonist of THE THING, is non-human and the rest of the characters are male, many people forget that THE THING is also a great example of feminism. By definition, feminism the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Emphasis on EQUALITY. The patriarchy (or a male-dominated society) doesn't just hurt women, it hurts men. John Carpenter's THE THING is an excellent film to analyze masculinity in a patriarchal society.The story of John Carpenter's THE THING follows a group of
Americans studying in the Arctic tundra that come across a group of Norwegian
soldiers chasing after a dog.
After the Norwegian helicopter traveling to destroy the dog explodes,
the Americans take the dog as their own without any explanation as to why the
Norwegian’s were chasing the dog in the first place. Shortly after, the Americans investigate the Norwegian’s
base camp only to discover the mutated remains of what appears to be two individuals. Simultaneously, the dog they have brought
to their camp mutates, attacks the other dogs, and attacks the crew coming to
destroy it. The Americans find
themselves in the midst of an invasion from an alien capable of imitating other
life forms and attacking anything that attempts to stop it.

The men in THE THING can safely be assumed to be very masculine characters. As many of them are soldiers or working for the military, their livelihoods alone give the impression that all of these men would identify as masculine. However, not all of the men in John
Carpenter’sTHE THING are completely
devoid of feminine qualities. In
the original screenplay, Bill Lancaster’s character descriptions note that many
of the male characters aren’t completely alpha-males. An alpha-male is defined as the individual in the
community with the highest rank.
In order for there to be a hierarchy, there must be a system of classification. For instance, the character Blair is described as
“sensitive”, Palmer is said to have “slight sixties acid damage” and Norris is
suffering from “an incipient heart condition”. With Lancaster choosing to showcase these men as imperfect
and vulnerable, it allowed for a ranking system. To contrast from the vulnerable men, the character Childs
was described as “Six-Four. Two-fifty. Black. A mechanic. Can be jolly. But
don’t mess.” These words clearly
showcase Childs as the epitome of an alpha-male character, leading the audience
to immediately associate him as a leader, and a force to be reckoned with.

RJ MacReady, the undisputed leader of the film is originally seen isolated from the rest of the group in a shack. This action shows that MacReady is the
lone wolf separating him from the rest of the pack, establishing his dominance
through distance. Speaking ethnologically, alphas
may achieve their status by means of superior physical prowess and/or by way of
social efforts and building alliances within the group. This sort of classification would lead
Childs towards being the alpha-male, but as MacReady doesn’t follow through the
traditional norms, it allows him the potential for achieving alpha-male
status. At this point of the film, the exposition alone has already set a
hierarchy that would normally remain unchallenged if it were not for the
intrusion of the “thing”. The male community remains unfazed
after interacting with the Norwegians, as the American male community was
associating with a Norwegian male community. This further emphasizes the sociological definition that
masculinity is not barred by cultural differences. The men are comfortably living in their hierarchical stasis
with no real need to try and change their positions. Once the “thing” is presented into their environment, the
hierarchical positions begin to change drastically. As previously stated, many times alpha-males will attempt to
gain status by violent means. The
question remains, why would the “thing” act as such an impacting variable? If masculinity is a direct response to
femininity, and the struggle for alpha-male status is a power struggle for men
when their positions are questioned, it would only be assumed that the “thing”
is of a female species. The male
gender is a control in this environment, and only violent responses in an
attempt to gain alpha-male status occurs once the presence of a female is
known. At the very beginning of the film, the first sign of aggression shown in the film is from MacReady, after he loses a game of digital chess, voiced by a woman.The alien “thing” is a shape-shifting
creature capable of absorbing the body and creating a perfect imitation of
whatever it has absorbed. This is
clearly an attempt to showcase the idea that women are a constant threat to the
male status quo. Women can "absorb" an aspect of a male, and produce a similar life force. Simply put, it's a giant metaphor for childbirth. Without this
invasion from the female alien, the men at the camp would be living in nothing
more than a monotonous lifestyle in the frozen tundra. It takes a woman to threaten the very
livelihood of these men and cause a rift into their common activities. As the men struggle to
determine who remains human and who is nothing more than an alien imitation,
violence is used almost as a currency.
For example, when MacReady is accused of being the “thing”, he secludes
himself (yet again) in a room filled with explosive devices and a brightly lit
flame. He threatens to blow up the
entire base camp if anyone tries to kill him or hurt him. MacReady is not only defending his
status as a human, but also maintaining his role as alpha-male by use of
ultimate force. The threat of
extreme action through violence is enough to force the rest of the men to
accept defeat, and back down. In a patriarchal society, brawn is almost always valued higher than brains, which keeps MacReady at the top of the totem pole, and the rest scrambling to align themselves under his leadership.

Once MacReady has gained
control of the men and established himself as the alpha-male, it is only a
matter of time before the rest of the men begin to battle for higher power
positions. In the infamous “blood
test” scene, MacReady has tied all of the men to a couch and has taken samples
of their blood, to which he will apply heat in an attempt to force a reaction
from the “thing”. The character
Clark resists and tries to use violence to take down MacReady, only to be shot
and killed in defense by MacReady.
With his authority established
over the other male characters, MacReady then asserts his male authority over
the female “thing.” Before testing
the blood he says, “When a man bleeds, it’s just tissue; but blood from one of
you things won’t obey.” This statement
can be argued as MacReady drawing a parallel to the menstrual cycle of a woman,
in that women are able to bleed consistently for days at a time while
menstruating without dying. To put
it simply, the blood doesn’t obey the “laws” of nature. This female alien is showing its
variability with its blood, forcing the hostile response of the male
counterparts. While the remaining men
sit on the couch, they begin to use different tactics to assert their
masculinity in the hopes that MacReady will release them. Childs uses a guilt tactic by calling MacReady
a murderer, in a sense, emasculating him by pointing out his inability to use
reasoning behind his actions.
Alas, his efforts are useless as MacReady fails to remove any of the men
unless their blood is proven to be "right."
Again, his ability to withstand ridicule keeps him in the powerful male
position.

Towards the end of the film, the final
battle between MacReady and the alien occurs.Once the alien transformation of Blair rises from the
ground, as if being “birthed” by Mother Nature, MacReady fights back with a
phallic object, a stick of dynamite, to destroy the beast.His overtly masculine role is confirmed
by this action, showcasing that his successful means to destroy a female
creature, was by inserting something in her that resembled the male genitalia.
Throughout the film, the assertion of male
dominance between the characters is done through violent measures.In a constant battle for alpha-male
status only to be taken by MacReady, John Carpenter’s THE THING delivers a startling look at the way men behave when
within the confines of other men, and the struggle for power between men in a patriarchal society during
times of crises in response to a threat of a feminine nature. Examining the expected gender roles of men and the disastrous results it causes makes THE THING an unexpectedly feminist movie. Had both the men and the female "thing" been presented as equals, we wouldn't have had a conflict...or a movie.

Monday, February 2, 2015

EVERLY is arguably not a horror film, but because it contains some elements of real-life horror, a ton of kills, a lot of blood, and comes from one of the horror genre's biggest fans, I felt it necessary to include as part of this year's Women In Horror Recognition month blog series.

Promoted as "DIE HARD in a room," director Joe Lynch's thrilling shoot-em-up flick EVERLY would seem on paper to be just another run-of-the-mill misogynist action/horror film. The story follows the titular Everly, a prostitute who works for a brutal criminal overlord named Taiko. When it is discovered that Everly is being traitorous (by trying to bring down his organization) he promises that by the end of the night (sometime around Christmas) she will be murdered. He sends his men to torture, rape, and kill her, but Everly does everything in her power to fight back, and try and make it out alive. Prostitution, violence, rape, and torture are some of the quickest "go-to" storytelling tactics in a woman-hating film, but EVERLY is unexpectedly an incredibly feminist film.

First of all, EVERLY is pro-women of color (WOC). Originally, the titular role was supposed to be played by Kate Hudson, but replacing her with Salma Hayek completely changes the racial dynamic amongst the hispanic Everly and the Japanese men that she works for. Throughout the course of the film, Everly speaks in her native tongue and the men that encounter her celebrate her ethnicity without ever fetishizing her. We are introduced to a gaggle of other prostitutes; spunky white girls, a "Milf-esque" white woman, a strong independent black woman, and our stereotypical "unique" woman in a colored wig. All of these women are examples of the archetypal roles given to sex workers, and despite many of them falling under the Western ideal of beauty, Everly is consistently praised for being the most desirable. However, her desirability is never addressed as being due to her "exoticism," therefore, meaning her Mexican heritage isn't being fetishized. While this may not have been intentional in the script, the casting decision of Hayek added this layer to the film. Much like George A. Romeo's casting of Duane Jones in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, picking the best actor for the role offered representation for a minority without making the character token. This. Is. Important. It's one thing to write a role specifically for a person of color, but it's something entirely different to have a role that could have been played by anyone, and deliberately casting a person of color. A study from Martha M. Lauzen in 2013 covering the Top 100 films of the year showed that only 5% of the female roles were played by Latinas. Joe Lynch casting Salma Hayek as a titular role is not only incredibly smart when selling a film to foreign audiences, but it's also a powerful statement in an industry that barely supplies work for non-Caucasian women. Not to mention, Everly is played by Salma Hayek...a 48 year old woman. This. Is. ALSO. Important. Unlike what Russell Crowe has to say about roles for women over 40, there are plenty of older actresses that are able to play complicated and interesting roles that aren't the ingenue. EVERLY is not an ingenue, but she is a dynamic and powerful role (with sex appeal) played by a woman that is pushing fifty.

EVERLY is also pro-sisterhood. For whatever reason, Hollywood has a tendency to believe that once a woman pops a human out of her body, that is officially the only thing she can ever do. Everly is a complicated woman with an even more complicated past. However, Everly is still a mother and the women around her respect this. When we're introduced to the other prostitutes, we see that the sense of camradarie that these women share that is vastly different from the bonds between the male characters. The women talk to each other like people and support each other to the best of their abilities. Even when Taiko is doing everything he can to turn these women against each other, they all express remorse for their actions...and showcase a moral code that exists merely because they're "sisters." Not to mention, the defense and respect these women have for a sense of motherhood. The men are ruthless and mean in terms of Everly's motherhood, using her daughter as a bargaining chip, while the women draw the line and understand, innocent daughters do not deserve to suffer because of the mistakes of their parents. On a purely familial level, we also get the opportunity to meet Everly's mother and Everly's daughter. The bonds of womanhood are tested among 3 generations. These women switch roles often between protector and protected. While Everly is our protagonist, she's still someone's child, and we all need our mothers. There truly isn't another bond like motherhood, and Everly's mother proves this. The unconditional love is something that cannot be matched or beaten by even the toughest thugs. It's only fitting that Everly's daughter meets her mother in a bloodbath and is essentially reborn. Yes, it's a vagina metaphor. Deal with it.

Perhaps what is most surprisingly, is the angle of pro-sex workers in EVERLY. Before I go any further, I want to specify that "Pro" in this discussion means "not against." Think of it like being pro-choice. Pro-choice means "if you have an abortion, you're not a scumbag that deserves to rot in Hell" NOT "we should kill babies for fun." In the same way, being pro-sex workers doesn't necessarily mean, "everyone should start selling their bodies" but merely, "if you are a sex worker, that doesn't make you a bad person." On a basic level, the prostitutes are the toughest, because they're all in for themselves vs. the gang mentality of the men. Before it's discovered that these women are not prostitutes, but victims of human trafficking, they are still never regarded as "sluts," or "whores." Even those that refer to these women as "whores" are immediately reprimanded and made to look like the bad guys. Never once are these women "slut-shamed" for their line of work and never are they made to look like they deserve any of the carnage brought to them. If anything, this film is anti-trafficking and pro-woman because although these women are victims of a heinous situation, the audience is seeing everything through the lens of a woman who herself, is also a victim. We identify with these women and we empathize with them, anyone that says otherwise is immediately seen as a monster and we crave punishment for what they've done.

There is a big difference between a misogynist film and a film that has misogynist characters. EVERLY is the latter. Violence against women does NOT equal misogyny, it's a matter of presentation. Much like the rape-revenge films of the exploitation era (but without being exploitative), EVERLY sends a message that women are not fragile and delicate flowers that need saving, but rather that the people who believe this to be true, are the ones that will be punished. It's a pro-female action film with feminist undertones that doesn't pander to its audience, and it points the finger of blame to the responsible villains without ever making our female lead look like she deserves what she's getting. EVERLY is unexpectedly feminist, and totally kick-ass.

EVERLY is available on VOD services and will be available in theatres soon.

Joe Lynch and Adam Green's podcast THE MOVIE CRYPT has the exclusive list of dates and theatre locations. http://tinyurl.com/nxrn274

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

I'm more than positive
that you have no idea who I am and until a few hours ago, I didn't know
you either. From what I've gathered from your contributions to The New
Republic, you seem to be a woman after my own heart. We have a lot in
common, Alice. We both like social justice posts, we enjoy
psychoanalyzing the media's influence on society, and we like writing
about gender equality. However, you've recently written an article in
response to ﻿THE BABADOOK titled "What It Says About You If You Enjoy Horror Movies." My facebook timeline has exploded
today with people posting in anger, frustration, and heartbreak about
your article. But, it was my dear friend (and fellow horror enthusiast)
John Squires who wrote a heartfelt response
to you that compelled me to hop on top of my soap box and do the same.
I'm sure I won't be the last one to do so, and it is with the utmost
sincerity that you avoid googling yourself for a few days unless you
desire being actively educated in a world you truly know nothing about.

I
could very well turn this entire piece about how I am living proof that
your article is untrue. Not only am I a female, but I'm an active
philanthropist, a rape survivor social advocate, I work with children
for a living, probably one of the most painfully cautious people I know
(my idea of "thrill seeking" is not checking the star rating on a
Netflix film before clicking play), and I watch approximately 90% of
horror films by myself--without the assistance of a male companion. It
would be quick to use my life experiences to disprove everything that
you've written, and I could very easily pull hundreds of biographies
from horror fans that also don't fit the mold of this picture you've
painted. However, I'd much rather talk in a language you speak.
Statistics and numbers.

You first stated that horror fans lack empathy.
In 2013, a tragedy occurred when there was a bombing at the
ever-populous Boston Marathon. I'm sure I don't need to go into the
gritty details of how gruesome, gory, bloody, and horrific the day was.
Hell, you've actually written a piece
about the "irony" that Boston is the hub of explosion detection.
During your research about the Boston bombing, did you ever once come
across an event called BOSTON STRONG hosted by a guy named Adam Green?
Probably not, but I'll educate you. Adam Green is a prominent horror
filmmaker working today and the mind behind the ultra-gory HATCHET franchise, the psychologically terrifying FROZEN (no, not that FROZEN) and the horror comedy show HOLLISTON.
Green is also a Boston native, so the bombings truly hit him close to
home. This horror fanatic should have lacked empathy, as you stated,
and with all of this gore and carnage being plastered by the media,
you'd think he'd have found this "thrill seeking" as you also claim
horror fans to be. Here's where you're wrong. Adam Green took it upon
himself to try to better the situation the only way he knew how. Adam Green held a 3-day event of film screenings, celebrity meet & greets, and an auction with items supplied by
Dark Sky Films, Blumhouse Productions, 1492 Films, and Anchor Bay Films
(all prominent horror film distributors) as well as personal donations
from Wes Craven (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, SCREAM), John Carpenter (HALLOWEEN, THE THING), Eli Roth (HOSTEL, CABIN FEVER), Tyler Mane (ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN), Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister fame), Oderus Urungus of GWAR (Rest In Peace), Rob Zombie (HALLOWEEN, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES) & John 5, Zach Galligan (GREMLINS, WAXWORK), artist Alex Pardee, Chris Columbus (HOME ALONE, GREMLINS), Sid Haig (THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, SPIDERBABY) and Mick Garris (HOCUS POCUS, THE STAND). All of the proceeds went to the One Fund to help those affected by the Boston Bombing. The BOSTON STRONG event managed to raise $15,000 for the One Fund. Mind you, this was 100% an event geared towards horror fans and filmmakers. Talk about lack of empathy.

The
second thing you noted about horror fans is that we're more likely to
be aggressive or thrill seeking. First of all, you cited studies that
in some cases are almost thirty years old. Do you remember how the
world was 30 years ago? The 1985 study you used to prove we're "thrill
seekers" was published closer to when homosexuality was still considered
a mental illness than it is to today. Here's information from a study
conducted in 2012. Research done by Dr. Mathias Clasen suggests
watching horror movies is great for our DNA. We as humans use memories
to help us deal with scary situations, but our day to day environments
usually don't put us in a scary situation. However, watching a horror
movie is an emotional stimulator, and it triggers our DNA to respond
accordingly.

"As the brain senses danger it produces
additional energy directed at the activeness of neurotransmitters –
glutamate, dopamine and serotonin. As a result, the body remains in a
state of combat readiness for some time. Another interesting factor is
that a potential threat signal passes through the brain, specifically
through the hypothalamus. Since the hypothalamus deals with the
glandular system, it initiates the release of adrenaline which causes
the release of opiates which in turn creates an anesthetic type effect.
This causes the phobic reaction to shut down and trains the brain to
have a similar reaction in real life situations. In a sense, watching a
horror movie is almost like a training ground for the body and psyche."
--Collective Evolution

You
can call it "thrill seeking" all you want, but horror fans are merely
just training themselves to be better prepared mentally to deal with the
things that happen in our lives that could be, well, scary.

You
also claim that most horror fans are men simply because more women
reported being afraid. Just because you're scared of something doesn't
mean you're not a fan of it. I'm a horror fan and I have been for my
entire life, but I still jump in the theaters and pretend to be looking
at the screen as my heart pounds when I'm really looking directly above
the screen to avoid any scary moments. That doesn't make me any less of
a fan. I watch horror movies because I enjoy that feeling. I love the
adrenaline rush, it's fun. Sorry, there I go getting personal again.
You did cite an article from 2014 showing that women are catching up to
men in film attendance, but even there...you're wrong. Here's an article from
2006, showing that women have been attending horror films more than men
in the target demographic. That would mean we've been doing so for
almost a decade. If that isn't enough for you, I'd like to introduce
you to Women In Horror Month.
Did we know we have our own month? Boasting over 12k fans on Facebook
and celebrating its 6th year anniversary next month, Women In Horror
Month not only celebrates all of the incredible contributions women have
made to the genre, but it also hosts a world-wide blood drive. Horror
fans all across the world donating blood to save lives? What was that
about lack of empathy again?

Your final
statement is that horror fans are most likely men, accompanied by a
frightened woman. Here is where I am going to get personal, and quite
frankly, a little stern. If the statistics I posted above showing that
women outnumber men for horror movie ticket sales doesn't disprove your
outdated source enough as is, I'd like you to sit back and realize what a
backward sense you have on this genre. The movie that triggered your
entire post was a film called THE BABADOOK which, as my friend Johnny already stated for you, was directed by a woman. This year, in addition to THE BABADOOK, there were films like HONEYMOON and A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
all over horror sites' top 10 lists (usually in the top spots) that were
also directed by women. I don't know about you, but I highly doubt
these "frightened women" needed a man by their side to create some of
the most genuinely horrifying films of recent memory. By using your old
and dated statistics, you're allowing yourself to be part of the
problem that perpetuates the idea that females are weaker and frailer
than their male counterparts. As someone who writes about gender
studies in pop cultures as you do, I'm disappointed that you didn't look
a little harder to see that you had the chance to champion the gender
that still isn't treated in society the same way as our male
counterparts.

Ultimately, I'm sure your
article was nothing more than click-bait and this angry response means
you've done your job. However, you need to understand that as a
mouthpiece for the public, your words have weight. For the misinformed,
people that read your article are going to continue to believe that
horror fans are the angry and evil creatures that Fox News wants to
believe we are the next time a mentally ill kid kills someone that just
so happened to like horror movies. Don't continue to be part of the
problem, educate yourself and be the change we so deserve to see from
the media.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

As 2014 winds down and we all reflect on the horror films of the last year, I find myself thinking a lot about spectacular performances in addition to films. My Top 15 of 2014 is posted over at Icons of Fright, but I wanted to use Day of the Woman to focus on something a little different. In my opinion, this was an incredibly strong year for female characters in horror. With audiences rejecting stereotypical and archetypal characters and instead favoring characters with a bit more depth to them, actresses in a majority of the horror films of 2014 were allowed to do more than just get naked and die. Submitted for your approval, these are my fourteen favorite female horror performances of 2014.

14) Melanie Papalia in THE DENTHE DEN is about a woman studying the habits of people who use a "Chat Roulette" like website called "The Den" who witnesses a brutal murder online and is quickly thrown in a nightmare in which she and her loved ones are targeted
for the same grisly fate as the first victim. Papalia is in every single second on this film, even if she is not the general focus. We as the audience are voyeurs, witnessing Papalia's reactions/motivations/feelings/encounters through a computer screen. There are moments that feel as if she's looking right at us, and Papalia is in every frame of every second of the film. Papalia gave an honest and engaging performance that helped prevent this film from being just another throwaway indie film.

13) Allison Egan in HER NAME WAS TORMENT
Allison Egan has become somewhat of an indie darling, appearing in many of the films of director Dustin Mills.An unnamed woman who has a distorted voice and a blurred face in the shown footage was arrested for committing twenty-seven murders, but deemed unfit
to stand trial. Oddly, twenty-four of her victims remain unidentified. It's almost as if, as the psychiatrist interviewing her describes
it, "this woman was a ghost killing ghosts." The psychiatrist interview footage is cut with footage of this woman, usually in some form of undress and wearing a mask, torturing her victims. Egan is pretty much fully nude in a majority of this film, but it never once feels forced or pornographic. Her face is never shown, and her real voice is never heard, but Egan still manages to give a strong and captivating performance.

12) Naya Rivera in AT THE DEVIL'S DOOR
I don't know about you, but I love it when a supporting character steals the film. I've always been a big fan of Naya Rivera's work (SANTANA LOPEZ 4 LYFE), but she really proved her talent as "Vera" in AT THE DEVIL'S DOOR. She doesn't appear right away, but she completely blew me away. Her character endures a rollercoaster of emotions, and Rivera performed them all with honesty.

11) Kristi Ray in PIECES OF TALENT
Many disillusioned actresses find themselves in"the opportunity of a lifetime" when they cross paths with an independent filmmaker, but Kristi Ray as "Charlotte" in the indie darling PIECES OF TALENT knocks this character type out of the park. She delivers a naive innocence that still exists in a post-9/11 world. Her character dreams of something better, and Ray delivers it with an air that feels genuine. Perhaps most refreshing is that Ray is a true romantic interest, but she doesn't have the over saturated "American Apparel" look that dominates starlets of the box office.

10) Kristina Klebe in PROXYPROXY is a film that boasts multiple strong performances from female leads, but Kristina Klebe as Anika Barön really nailed what she was given. Klebe's character was arguably the most stereotypical, but she breathed new life into the "bitter lesbian bully" archetype. The camera loves Klebe, and I was drawn to her in every moment she was on screen. Her anger felt pure and her delivery was downright scary at times. She completely wore her despicability on her sleeve, and her willingness to throw herself into a character so...unlikable and cruel was admirable. Klebe nailed it. The other female leads (Alexia Rasmussen and Alexa Havins) were also fantastic to watch, but Klebe (for me) stole the show.

09) Paz de la Huerta in NURSE
I don't know what planet Paz de la Huerta is from, but I want to visit there and come back refreshed and with a new view of the world. NURSE could easily be excused as a shitty film, but I found it to be hilariously genius. It walked the line between "campy brilliance" and "bottom-feeder trash," but never fell over to one side. Whether or not Paz' delivery was intentional is irrelevant, because she was incredible. The delayed inflection of her voice, the awkward body language, and the huge hair all skyrocketed her into one of the most wonderful female villains in a long while. I loved it and I loved her.

08) Natalie Jean in THE CEMETERY
Natalie Jean is known in the indie world for her work in Adam Ahlbrandt's films, but she's also an accomplished stunt woman. She managed to combine both her skills as an actress and her impressive abilities to move her body in Ahlbrandt's flick, THE CEMETERY. Natalie Jean opens the film as a fully functioning member of society, and despite almost all of the characters being wholly unlikeable, she's the only one that I liked. Jean is the first to feel the effects of whatever is plaguing this mysterious cemetery, and that's when she really begins to shine. You actively start to root for her as a villain. The prowess she commands on screen is commendable given she speaks less than 1/4 of her screen time. Covered in practical effects, she made them work for her and she allowed herself to completely transform into a monster. In all honesty, I wasn't too hot on this film as a whole, but Natalie Jean's performance made this underground film enjoyable.

07) UNDER THE SKIN
Scarlett Johansson has been smarter and smarter about choosing her roles recently, but her performance in UNDER THE SKIN is perhaps her strongest yet. She plays an alien stalking men in Scotland, and uses her beautiful human appearance to lure in her prey. The "siren" story is one that has been done numerous times before, but Johansson's portrayal feels authentically out of this world. There's definitely a difference between someone acting a character and becoming a character, and Scarlett Johansson definitely became alien in this one.

06) Amy Seimetz in THE SACRAMENT
Amy Seimetz has been one of my favorite performers for quite some time now, and her dedication in THE SACRAMENT is no exception. She plays "Caroline," our brainwashed point of reference for those living in the commune known as "Eden's Parrish." Considering the real-life horror roots of THE SACRAMENT, we as the audience quickly realize what is about to take place, and can predict her fate long before it ever happens. She's such a charming and interesting woman, despite our understanding that she's the catalyst for everything bad that is inevitably coming to our protagonists. Her final moments are downright devastating to watch and as much as you want to hate her, she's so likeable that you immediately just feel sorry for her. Seimetz truly is a tour de force.05) Essie Davis in THE BABADOOK
The success of Jennifer Kent's masterful debut comes in large part from the dynamite performance delivered by Essie Davis as "Amelia." There is nothing quite as strong as a mother's love for her child, and Davis completely embodied the maternal energy required to make this film as horrifying as possible. Davis had to be over-worked, tired, obligated, and still showcase a genuine love (and fear) for her child in order for the film to work, and it does. Mothers aren't always June Cleaver, and Davis presents Amelia the way that most women are...complex. The relationship Amelia has with her child is one that is impossible for an outsider to truly understand, and her constant conflict between what is expected of her to feel towards her child and what she actually does feel for her child, is painted all over Davis. Davis has some major acting chops, but her role as Amelia was flawless.

04) Rima Te Wiata HOUSEBOUND
Morgana O'Reilly's "Kylie" may have been the lead, but it was Rima Te Wiata's performance as her mother "Miriam" that really stood outin the New Zealand hit HOUSEBOUND. Miriam was funny, endearing, chatty, and incredibly sincere. No matter how awful things get, Miriam always tries to look on the bright side. It's her incessant positivity contrasting with the cynicism of her millennial daughter that kept this storyline feeling fresh and fun. I lived for whatever unintentionally funny quip was going to come spewing out of her mouth following some bitter side-comment from her daughter. She's so endearing that she almost blends into the background and that's why she's so good. The character could have easily been played over the top, but that would have dominoed the entire film. As absurd as things get in this film, it all feels completely normal for someone like Miriam.

03) Anna Walton in SOULMATE
Anna Walton is absolutely superb as "Audrey" in Axelle Carolyn's SOULMATE. Tom Wisdom played opposite and while he was giving it his
all, Walton completely outshined every other performer in the entire film. That isn’t to say the
secondary characters weren’t any good, but Walton was such a pleasure,
it made everyone else look mediocre in comparison. The opening sequence is particularly grim, but Walton handles the extreme subject matter with ease. Her turmoil feels genuine and she expresses her pain with a rawness that never once feels forced. As the mood of the film shifts, Walton's progression feels believable and I was with her every step of the way.

02) Jill Larson in THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN
Larson is no stranger to playing creepy old women characters, but she broke new ground with her performance as the titular Deborah Logan. Wearing minimal makeup and without being covered in computer effects, Larson possibly the most convincing possession victim in horror history. Her dedication to this character is responsible for almost the entire film's creepiness, and the progression of her Alzheimer's stricken character is something of cinematic beauty. This very collected woman quickly turns into a monstrous creature and every moment is horrifically haunting. There's a moment towards the end of the film which is easily the scariest thing I've seen all year, and Larson absolutely dominated the scene.

01) Alex Essoe STARRY EYES
My favorite horror film of 2014 was Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer's STARRY EYES and it was due in large part to the stunning performance from Alex Essoe. Every moment of the film is haunting and harrowing, gorgeous and grotesque, fun and frightening,
insightful and irresistible. Alex Essoe is required to carry the entire
film on her shoulders as Sarah, and her ability to shift from
vulnerable to vindictive was downright mesmerizing to witness. Sarah is forced to deal with physical demons but the most horrific creatures are the ones that Sarah has residing within herself, that she must face on her own. The character of Sarah physically and mentally embodies the horrifying and painful lengths that actors are willing to go to secure a place in the limelight, and by doing so, the dedication from actor Alex Essoe guarantees herself a spot as an iconic female horror character.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Admittedly,
this is a bit of a soap box post, but it's something that has been on
my mind for a while. Victor Salva is probably the most well known for
the JEEPERS CREEPERS films, but he's also a convicted sex offender who videotaped himself molesting the 12-year-old lead of his film CLOWNHOUSE.
Salva was convicted on one count of lewd and lascivious conduct, one
count of oral sex with a person under 14, and three counts of procuring
child pornography. Salva was sentenced to only three years, of which he
served 15 months. After he served his time, he has since made four (onto five)
movies. I'm sorry, what? A convicted child sex offender is still
making movies and acquiring distribution while hundreds of extremely
talented and non-vile non-pieces of human garbage are struggling through
crowd sourcing or going into debt to create their art? How the hell is
this the world we live in?

Right now, Bill Cosby's rape
allegations are coming back out of the woodwork and it has completely
tarnished his career. He's lost sponsorships and TV Land has pulled
reruns of THE COSBY SHOW from airing. You know what?
Good. However, people like Victor Salva are STILL making films and the
press are STILL covering his films. A lot of people like to claim that
they can "separate the art from the artist," but that pegs the
question...should we?

The best example of this sort of
"forgiveness" is Roman Polanski. Polanski is hailed as one of the
greatest filmmakers of all time, and with good reason. ROSEMARY'S BABY
is one of the greatest horror films ever made, and Polanski has proven
himself to be a dynamite director. Here's the thing though, he
committed a heinous crime. He fled to France hours before his
sentencing in 1978 and has been essentially "hiding" out in France ever
since. I use the word "hiding" loosely, because he's not some hermit,
he's just not coming back to America. I can call ROSEMARY'S BABY
a brilliant and iconic film worth seeing, because it's something
Polanski created BEFORE he molested a thirteen year old and was convicted. I don't feel good about it, but I won't hold his previous talents against him. Everything
he's done after the fact? It does not exist in my world, and it
shouldn't. I don't care how brilliant of an artist you are, you do not
get a free pass on sex crimes because you're a talented artist.

JEEPERS CREEPERS
feels a little bit autobiographical, with Salva playing the monster.
Unlike the typical slashers or monster, 'The Creeper" preys on its
victims much like a stereotypical pedophile. The first JEEPERS CREEPERS
film shows a brother and a sister being stalked by the creature, in
particular, the brother is the one the monster desires. In JEEPERS CREEPERS 2,
as the monster admires his victims (predominately shirtless male boys)
from afar, his eyes roll back (much like a male orgasm) when he finally sees
the victim he desires. He then licks the glass of the school bus, and
he caresses his victims before he strikes. I'm sorry, but JEEPERS CREEPERS
is a giant metaphor for raping men, and Salva was paid
money to essentially "safely" re-enact his guiltiest desires. That's sick.
Seriously, seriously, sick. And this isn't the only time. Even his
non-horror films like POWDER are littered with weird traces of pedophilia. One of the JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 producers, Bobby Rock, has even gone on record saying, the original JEEPERS CREEPERS "did very well at the box-office — that's all that matters to us." "Us" being Rock and his co-producer...Francis Ford Coppola.

The fucked up thing? Salva didn't make JEEPERS CREEPERS
until AFTER he had already been convicted and served time. That means
producers willingly handed over a TEN MILLION dollar budget to this guy
to make a movie. He made this film AFTER the media-explosion during his
film POWDER when it became known that Disney had
financed a film made by a child molester. People like to claim "he
served his time, let him move on" but I disagree, 100%. People like
Victor Salva should not be allowed to continue to make art for the
world. Unfortunately money talks, and since JEEPERS CREEPERS
and its sequel did well financially, there's apparently a third
installment in the works. Gross. Sex crimes against children are
unforgivable, and Salva does not deserve to be forgiven so easily.
Victor Salva already made his movie, and it contained pornographic acts
on a 12 year old. That should have been enough, but apparently
Hollywood doesn't care.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Cinema Wasteland is my favorite convention in the world, if only for the Sunday Afternoon film screenings. The closing films of the convention are always some forgotten about drive-in flicks, and I'm always shocked at how much I love them. From the cult classic HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS to the underseen biker flick THE NORTH RIDGEVILLE CEMETERY MASSACRE, Sunday screenings tend to expose audiences to films they wouldn't have seen otherwise. This October I was treated to a "slasher cult classic" titled NIGHT SCHOOL. Considering my age, there are plenty of films of yesteryear that I've never heard of, but something about NIGHT SCHOOL completely drew me in. "directed by Ken Hughes and starring Rachel Ward in her feature film debut, the film is centered on a detective trying to discover the perpetrator behind a series of decapitation murders happening to a group of girls all attending the same evening class. I've seen my fair share of slasher films, but the fact a film about a decapitation murder spree affecting college co-eds is right up my alley.

If there's a film dying for a remake, it's NIGHT SCHOOL. It's a solid slasher flick with some downright terrifying and brilliantly executed sequences, but doesn't contain a legendary icon to rustle the feathers of fanboys. What is perhaps most fascinating about NIGHT SCHOOL, is that it may be a "slasher film" but it feels much more like an Italian giallo film. Argento's TENEBRAE borrowed heavily from American slasher films, but there were so many elements from NIGHT SCHOOL sticking out in my mind making me convinced that Argento couldn't have possibly NOT been influenced by this film. The killer is clad in all black and wears sleek, black gloves. The weapon of choice is a pristine, sharp blade, and the film is riddled with twists and red herrings. From the get-go, we know that the killer decapitates all of their victims and places their heads in water. Part of the fun of this film is watching the detectives investigate the following morning and try to guess where the head is going to end up. There's a sequence in a diner the morning after a waitress is murdered that is so exquisitely crafted, it very well became my absolute favorite dead body reveal of all time. That's not an exaggeration, the scene is just THAT good.

The diner body reveal isn't the only stand-out, as there is an aquarium kill that is filled with such rage and brutality juxtaposed against the beauty of crystal clear waters that is something out of a fantasy. NIGHT SCHOOL definitely plays with your imagination, pulling from the terror our imaginations can conjure up rather than slapping us in the face with over-the-top gore. Slasher films are notorious for killing off high school/college aged girls, but NIGHT SCHOOL plays with convention and makes the audience genuinely feel sympathetic towards these students. All of these girls are being manipulated by those in power, namely, their professors. It's an ahead of its time look at the lengths students will go for good grades and remaining in the good graces of their teachers. It's sick, but it really helps make us care about the stacking body count. Sure, a lot of the film feels like a HALLOWEEN carbon-copy, but it's the moments that are unique that kept my attention. NIGHT SCHOOL's strength definitely lies in the cinematography, with exquisite lighting and camera angles that feel much more high-budget than what we're accustomed to seeing in low-budget slasher films.

*SPOILER ALERT*
On a more superficial level, I don't understand why NIGHT SCHOOL isn't talked about more frequently for two very important reasons. First of all, the killer at the end of NIGHT SCHOOL is revealed to be a woman, and considering people are always looking for more films with a female killer, you'd think that such a strange slasher film would be discussed more often. Not to mention, NIGHT SCHOOL was also written by a woman named Ruth Avergon. A female written film with a female killer is surely something for the record books (especially for 1981), and I don't understand how this film was completely forgotten. The film is far from perfect, but there are cinematic moments that were so awesome, it's odd that it took me this long to discover it. If you ever come across NIGHT SCHOOL, give it a watch. If you like it half as much as I did, you'll be happy.

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